Yeshue
FAITH OF THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF ANTIOCH
Chapter 1: Class 4
Written by:
Chev. Dr. K. O. Mathew Konkara(Rtd Supdt of Police)
It's history, faith and liturgy and It's position within the church history
Who are heretics and schismatics? How do they arise in the Church? How are they viewed canonically?
When changes are made to the apostolic faith, those who do so become outsiders to the Church. This is because they oppose the Holy Spirit. From that moment on, they are dead to the Church. The life of the Church is the Holy Spirit, and the Church is guided by the Holy Spirit.
When someone or a group alters the faith defined by the Holy Spirit, it becomes a grave sin, unforgivable in this life and the next. Those who do this are called heretics.It is written that all sins are forgivable except sin against the Holy Spirit which is unforgivable not only in this world but in the other world also.
Others who separate themselves from the one holy Church and refuse to obey its head are called schismatics. Neither heresy nor schism is pleasing to God. Christ wants His Church to remain one forever.
Those who cause divisions in the Church, motivated by selfishness and ambition, and eventually lead to heresy, are cutting apart the body of Christ. Schism is a path that leads to heresy.
The true members of the one Church fight spiritually for the true faith and are willing to die for it. That's why we sing before the Holy Qurbana: "Those members of the Church who wanted to join with Christ, selected the way and preaching of Christ. They never feared death and gave any value to the life of this mortal world. when they saw Christ hanging on the cross, with blood and water flowing from His chest, they ran to join with Christ, and preferred to martyrdom with great pleassure." Here it means that since the Church is the body of Christ and whenever hundreds of it members were massacred like the one that hapened in the first century during the reign of Nero the king, the members of the Church ran to give their lives for the Church - Christ - Thousands of saints, including St. Peter and St. Paul, St. Ignatius the Patriarch of Antioch, St. Clement, St. Polycarp, and many patriarchs of Antioch, gave their lives for the Church.
This spiritual battle continues, till now and the Church grows through the blood of millions of martyrs. Christ will ensure that His Church remains until the end of time.
Why has the Church faced so many persecutions and produced so many martyrs? Because Satan, the enemy, knows the value of the Church and seeks to destroy it. He will continue to fight until the end. The answer to the above question is written in Matthew 16 verse 24
Then Jesus told his disciples "whoever wants to follow me should deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever will lose their life for my sake shall find it. what will it benefit a person if they acquire the whole world and forfeit their life, or what will a person give in exchange for their life? For the son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His holy angels, and then He will repay each person according to his or her deeds".
Canonically, true believers should not participate in the prayers or sacraments of heretics or schismatics. This is because doing so would deny the true faith of the one holy Apostolic Church that was established by St. Peter in Antioch in AD. 37.
1. A believer should not be buried by a heretic. If necessary, and no true priest is available, they may be buried by believer (Bar Ebraya).
2. Avoid the Eucharist of heretics like poison.
3. A true priest should not offer the Eucharist for heretics.
4. True believers should not attend prayers or funerals of heretics. Those who do so will be denied communion for a time, but may be restored upon repentance (Laodicea, Canon 9).
Despite the efforts of heretics and schismatics, Christ's Church will remain one. Christ desires all to be one in the apostolic faith and communion.